


The Tale Of The Origami Sage

by Tim Willems (MrMobil123)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Childhood Friends, Epic, Epic Battles, Epic Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, Long, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Pre-Canon, Rivalry, Sad Ending, Second Shinobi War, Third Shinobi War, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 20:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrMobil123/pseuds/Tim%20Willems
Summary: Travelling from a small village far to the north, the legendary ninja Yukiko Of The Paper Ravens, known by many as the Speaker For The Crows or the Origami Sage, tells her young daughter Konan tales of her own youth. Running from a mysterious order of ninja known as Eight Men Koin, through the stories of her life we will learn about the life that Yukiko has lead, how her and her genin team became the legends they are today, and the actions she has taken that lead to this situation she is now in, in which she must hide her daughter away and face a childhood friend from her past.





	The Tale Of The Origami Sage

A woman walked through the snow as it lightly drifted, her head low against the wind. She carried a little girl, who couldn’t have been much more than five on her back, huddled up under a blanket and with her arms wrapped around the woman’s neck. The woman’s hair whipped, and her ears and nose were red from cold, but the little girl’s head was wrapped in a warm scarf and a conical hat sat on her head at a jaunty angle. The hat was her mothers, but she always loved wearing it, and so the woman let her. Every once and a while the woman would hike the little girl up, bouncing the girl, and she would giggle and the woman would give a soft smile. They made conversation, but there wasn’t a whole lot to say. The woman was focused on trying to make it to the inn she knew was right around the bend, and the little girl was tired and cold.

At one point, as they rounded a little corner in the road and the lights from the inn came into view, the little girl spoke up to her mother and said, “why are we going to this inn? Can’t we just stay in the village, with Uncle Eiji?”

The woman did not at once respond. She still didn’t know how to tell the little girl that Uncle Eiji had died, and that there were people coming for her, and that that's why they had to leave their idyllic little village to the north. She just hoped it wasn’t them, her old friends. She wouldn’t be able to bring herself to do what she would have to do if it was them who had come for her.

The woman sighed, breathing out through her nose. “Konan,” she said at last, “do you understand that we can’t ever go back to Sunōbirejji?”

The little girl was quiet. She was little, but smart. She knew that, she just didn’t want to admit it to herself. “Yeah,” said the little girl, “I think I know that.”

“And honey, do you understand that Uncle Eiji is dead? He won’t come back.”

“Not ever?”

“Not ever.”

“Oh,” said the little girl, and the woman could feel her daughters sadness radiate off her. It broke her heart. “Is that why we’re going to the Rain Village?”

“Yes,” said the woman. “Because you will be safe there.”

The lights from the in could be seen up ahead on the road, and the woman took a deep breath, before saying, “Konan, do you know your mommy’s name?”

“Your just mommy,” said Konan.

“But do you know my real name, the name people who arent you call me?”

Konan thought a moment, but couldn’t think of anything. She hugged her mother close and said, “No, I only know you as mommy.”

The woman nodded. She was scared. Of everything right now, but most importantly she was scared for her daughter. She thought she had managed to move past the things that had happened in her past, but sometimes things always caught up. And now, she wasn’t scared for herself. She was scared that her actions in the past would come to hurt her daughter now. With a deep, shuddering breath she said, “Honey, Im going to tell you my name, and I want you to remember it. Because honey, once we get to Amegakure, we may never see each other again, and I always want you to remember your mommy. Okay? Can you do that for me?”

She felt little Konan hug the back of her neck tighter, and nod her head in solemn understanding. “Ok,” she said.

“Your mommy’s name is Yukiko,” said the woman. “But in the future, you might hear people call me other things as well, like The Paper Raven, or the Origami Sage. But remember, all of those are me, and I want you to remember the names people called your mother. So that you’ll never forget me.”

“Okay,” said Konan. She hugged her mother tighter again, and tried not to cry.

“But we can enjoy this trip, okay?” said Yukiko. “It’ll be weeks until we get to Amegakure. We can tell stories, and Ill buy you sweets and good food. It’ll be fun honey, I promise. And when we say goodbye, all your memories of mommy will be good ones, okay?”

“Okay,” said Konan again, and Yukiko sighed. She lowered her head again against the wind, and pushed on through the snow drifts. They were almost at the inn, and she wanted to get there even quicker. She knew that, no matter what kind of brave face she put up, her daughter would know that this trip would be bittersweet at best. It made her sad, but she would do her best to fulfill that promise. And she wanted to be able to return to her daughter, one way or another. But sometimes those kinds of things just werent possible. 

* * *

 

The room of the inn was scrappy and small, but warm. Yukiko knelt besides her daughter, her cloak and hat hung up by the door, and Konan's clothes drying by the radiator. Two empty bowls sat on the little table in the center of the room. Yukiko smiled at her daughter, tucking her in and nestling a little stuffed frog into the crook of her arm. Konan looked up at her mother with puppy eyes, and Yukiko leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She stood and kicked her shoes off, and pulled her pants off so she was just in a sweater and her underwear, before laying down on the floor. She had a pillow and a blanket, but she wanted Konan to have the bed. She would make do.

"I love you Konan," she said, sitting back up to get one last look at her daughter. 

"I love you too mommy," said Konan. Her voice sounded small, and sad. 

"Whats the matter honey?" said Yukiko. 

"I dont want you to go. . ."

Yukiko looked at her daughter, studying her. She was still so small. With a sigh, she picked up her blanket and shuffled over to sit next to Konan's bed, and leaned her head and against her arm on the mattress. "Do you want me to tell you a story before you go to bed?" she said. 

Konan nodded, and hugged her stuffed frog closer.

"What kind of story?" said Yukiko. "I know stories about ancient ninja heroes, the samurai of the Land Of Iron, or pirates from the Land Of Water. What kind of story do you want?"

Konan seemed to think a second, before shrugging. Yukiko opened her mouth to speak, when Konan perked up and spoke. "I want to hear stories about you. I want to know about when you were a kid, and how you became a ninja."

"Thats what you want?" said Yukiko.

"Yeah," said Konan. "and Gamabunta too," she said, indicating her stuffed frog. Yukiko laughed at that, she had suggested the name on a whim and Konan had kept it. If only the real Gamabunta heard, he would be angry beyond belief. 

"Ok," said Yukiko. "Let me tell you about becoming a Genin."


End file.
